Storm System Rips Through Southern States
Hail, heavy rain, high winds and tornadoes tore through the South early Monday, ripping off roofs and tossing trees into power lines.
The storms struck from Texas to Georgia, with at least one storm-related death reported in Alabama. Damage was widespread: Roofs and power lines broke in or near dozens of cities and towns.
“There may have been big tornadoes, they just didn’t hit populated areas,” said meteorologist Tim Destri of the National Weather Service office in Slidell, La.
In West Feliciana Parish north of Baton Rouge, Fire Chief Tommy Boyett said a tornado toppled trees onto 25 to 30 houses.
In Piedmont, Ala., a 90-year-old woman was killed when one of the storms hit a mobile home park, authorities said, throwing her home about 130 feet. At least seven people were injured. One person was hospitalized in stable condition; six were treated and released. About 20 people left homeless were taken to a shelter.
In north Georgia, thunderstorms injured six people, two of them seriously, and destroyed or damaged dozens of homes.
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